What Wineries Have Dropped Off Your Radar Screen??

As I was tasting the Foxen last night, I realized I hadn’t tasted many Foxen wines of late. I used to really like their wines and would try every one that came along.

Which got me to thinking (always a dangerous thing late at night when you’re well into the btl)…what are some other wineries that I used to follow religiously but have now sorta dropped off my radar screen?? Oftentimes it’s because there has been a decline in quality. Or they have sold out to the big boys like Constellation or Diageo and the wines are not the same…more commodity in character. Or sometimes you’ve moved on to more interesting things.

A few that come to mind in my case:
David Bruce
Scherrer
Storybook Mtn
Wellington
Eberle
Dehlinger
Nalle
BonnyDoon
SantaCruzMtnWnry
SpringMtnWnry
Buehler
MtVeeder
Caymus
JosephPhelps
RobertKeenan
ZD
and I’m sure there are a lot more, including all RedBdx wines.

Tom (throwing out yet another esoteric/thought-provoking question for the day)

Larkmead
Littorai
Copain
Calera

Cakebread
Nickel & Nickel
Grgich Hills
Sonoma Cutrer

Mt. Veeder came on my radar for the first time a year ago for their '14 cab. NOT a typical Napa cab – restrained, high acid. One I want to follow over time.

Fourrier

Seavey
Altamura
Bressler
Pride
Robert Foley
D’Arenberg
Amon Ra
Numanthia
Mas Doix
Quilceda Creek

Whatta newcomer to MtVeeder, John!! neener
But I’ll have to try their new Cab on your rec.
MtVeeder was started by Mike & Arlene Bernstein in 1973. It was a Cabernet house, mostly, from their Bernstein Estate.
But they made a late harvest Chard about '75 from the LongVnyd that was an absolute killer, yet pretty much dry. And in '75, they
made (along w/ CarnerosCreek) a Petite Sirah from the MarstonVnyd that was the stuff of legends. One of the greatest PS’s made
in Calif…ranked up there w/ the Ridge YorkCreek '71 and FreemarkAbbey. They also made some terrific Amador Zins from the EsolaVnyd.
They sold MtVeeder to Franciscan/AgustenHuneeus in '83 and I rapidly lost interest as Franciscan/Estancia was making rather ho-hum wines.
And it’s now owned by one of the biggies…Constellation, perhaps.
But I’ll give the Cab a try.
Tom

A quick look at CT; producers ordered by bottles purchased, then scanning down to see which I don’t expect to buy from again:
5th place - Penfolds. A combination of realising I didn’t like the style that much (unlike Aussie critics) and rapacious price increases make this an easy ignore. A lesson in learning my own palate rather than trusting critics, but also in recognising when value goes out the window.
16th place - Cullen. Their main red disappointed (albeit from high expectations), but I do like their Chardonnay. Pricing escalated too fast for me, so ignoring is logical
18th place - Petaluma. Pricing fairer, but I much prefer Wynns Black label to their Cabernet/Merlot blend
22nd place - Nervi. Some hits (and misses) with very old bottles. A disappointing case of 1990 Molsino, and I’m certain the new ownership will take the price rapidly into the stratosphere.
34th place - Marchesi di Barolo. Similarly some hits and misses from older bottles, and a soft spot for them as it was the first Barolo the brains of the operation tasted (and thus it started a big shared interest) but what I’ve tried recently has been desperately poor. A visit only re-affirmed this view, and they seem rather too geared up for tourist visits.

leflaive
raveneau
drc
rousseau
juge :wink:

Domestic:
Scherrer (a shame, really)
Ridge
Siduri
Ojai
Littorai

Old World:
Gaja
Fourrier
Sociando Mallet
Pol Roger
Dauvissat

With the exception of a very few, most domestic wines have fallen off my list for no other reason than wanting to diversify with European wines. As for producers where my tastes simply “moved on”…

Liquid Farm
Cakebread
Shafer
DuMOL
Tor Kenward
O’Shaughnessy
Torrin
Kistler
Eric Kent
Arnot-Roberts
Paul Lato
Anthill Farms
Reynvaan
Turley
Booker

Mike and Arlene sold Mt Veeder to a couple from Florida. They in turn sold it to Huneeus.

This direct to consumer biz can be wonderful but if you don t keep adding younger people to your list, the well runs dry.

Turkey
Booker
Siduri
Ojai
Bonny Doon
David Bruce
Just quick off the top of my head.

Turkey sucks, good move.

Peter Wellington retired a few years ago and sold to a conglomerate. I think it started with a V.

For me, Liquid Farm was a winery I was super excited about and have completely forgotten about. And I lost interest in Siduri, another winery I really liked, after Adam sold.

Lots of others, I’m sure.



  1. First I was aghast. 2. Then I was relieved. 3. Now I’m confused.

I will explain:

  1. If Mt. Veeder were owned by Constellation, I’d feel terrible for liking the wine.

  2. Never heard of Huneeus, but sounds much better than Constellation.

  3. But the Huneeus website doesn’t list Mt. Veeder. It seems that Franciscan did buy Mt. Veeder when Agustin Huneeus was running Franciscan in 1989: https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/31/garden/a-tiny-but-notable-winery-is-sold.html But I can’t find anything about who owns it now.

If you two, Tom and Mel, don’t know the history, I don’t know who does.

There are a good number of wineries mentioned that have sold off to larger firms (Calera, Copain). The ones that come across as tongue in cheek like Fourrier are obviously due to very high prices, another good reason.

Moved on to interesting things, but still have quite a few in the cellar:
Tablas creek
Au Bon Climat

All Bordeaux
All chateauneuf du pape
St. Joseph - [Gonon and Chave too]
Rioja other than Lopez de Heredia


Overall moved to more whites.

Like you and many of the other posters here I have 'lost track" of many producers and as I get older will continue to pare down the wines that I purchase. Although older vintages of many are still represented in the cellar I have not bought their wines in many years. There are many reasons for this.

Being in Alaska shipping costs are a big factor in which wines to procure. Full case shipments are really what makes sense and has resulted in paring down quite a bit.

Another factor is that as I look at my cellar today, I have more red wine than I will ever be able to drink. So in the last few years I have shifted my buying focus to fewer bottles and more heavily weighting white wines, especially vintage champagne.

It is still a sentimental moment though when I drink my last bottle of a beloved producers wine.

By Huneeus I meant Franciscan, which he owned.
Since Constellation bought Simi, Franciscan, Mt Veeder and Estancia they still should own all of them.The Mt Veeder wines were made at Franciscan, which is now The Prisoner. I don t know where they are making the wine. It seems likely that Franciscan will fade into the sunset, but you never know.